San Francisco Giants reliever Brian Wilson takes a bat to a water cooler after being pulled from a interleague baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning Friday, July 1, 2011 in Detroit. Wilson was pulled after giving up a RBI-single to Detroit's Brandon Inge. The Giants defeated the Tigers 4-3. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

DETROIT -- As if Brian Wilson's black-bearded visage weren't on television enough, he guaranteed himself a 24-hour highlight loop when he launched into an epic, bat-wielding, water-jug-battering tirade in the dugout Friday night at Comerica Park.

It was 30 seconds of madness. It was pure, raging violence. It would have made his idol, Chuck Norris, proud.

It was the most indelible moment of the night. Luckily for the Giants, it was not the defining one. Wilson already had blown the save in the eighth and was threatening to give back another lead in the ninth when he was lifted for Jeremy Affeldt, who pulled a most fortunate escape as the Giants emerged with a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Shortstop Brandon Crawford turned an unassisted double play with the bases loaded, securing Brennan Boesch's line drive and stepping on second base as the Giants managed to rescue their closer after he blew consecutive saves for just the second time in his career.

Wilson blew his top like never before, too. At least not in plain sight.

"Well, you know, give myself 30 seconds to absolutely lose it, then come back and be part of the team and watch Affeldt close it out," Wilson said. "You come back to reality and root on the guy who's going out to save your ass, and he did a marvelous job of it."

Advertisement

For the second consecutive day, Wilson couldn't protect a 1-0 lead. This one was an even tougher conversion; Giants manager Bruce Bochy asked him to pitch in the eighth for just the second time this season, and Wilson inherited runners at the corners with two outs.

Wilson recorded 10 saves of four outs or more last year. He still hasn't converted one this season. Wilson's 2-2 cutter to Magglio Ordonez stayed up, resulting in a tying single that spoiled Madison Bumgarner's well-earned decision.

But Wilson retired Miguel Cabrera on a jam shot, and the Giants didn't stay down for long. They went ahead with a three-run ninth inning, as Pablo Sandoval came through yet again. He provided his second run-scoring double of the night; both of them were opposite-field shots to the wall in left-center field.

Wilson struggled again in the ninth, though, retiring only one of the five batters he faced, and Bochy decided Wilson had thrown enough pitches.

Wilson strode to the dugout, waved off any interaction and knocked over a water jug that took a splash landing on the dugout floor. Then he paced to the other end of the dugout, grabbed a bat, got up a running start and whacked the jug. He hit the wall with the bat, paced some more, then used his right hand to strike what appeared to be a box of gum or sunflower seeds that rested atop the bench.

Asked afterward if his hand was all right, Wilson said, "It's fine. Ask the wall."

Will it be difficult to watch himself take that "Happy Gilmore" whack on television over and over?

"Why would it be difficult?" Wilson deadpanned. "I mean, I squared it up."

Bochy said he wasn't sure if Wilson was upset at being taken out. Wilson gave a vague answer when asked about that, saying he was "just ticked off at what happened. That's it. It's not that enjoyable to go out and give up two runs."

Bochy didn't express dismay at Wilson's display, however.

"Hey, they're competitive, and you're going to have snaps and frustration," Bochy said. "There's a lot of intensity going around. That's how these guys play. You have to let it out, and Willie does. What's important is he keeps his poise on the mound."

He usually does. Wilson, who leads the N.L. with 24 saves, has blown consecutive chances just one other time in his career -- and that came Sept. 9-10, 2008, when he was a first-year closer.

The Giants managed to win in three of Wilson's four blown chances this season.

"He's not going to need it that often," Affeldt said. "He deserves that we pick him up, and I'm glad we did."

Affeldt got the double-play ball he wanted from Andy Dirks, but second baseman Emmanuel Burriss was in such a rush to start it that he bobbled the ball for an error that allowed a run to score.

Then came Boesch's line drive, which stayed true all the way into Crawford's glove.

"It was a curveball, but not where I wanted it to curve," Affeldt said, exhaling. "Thank God. I was like, 'Please, no "... I mean, yes!' "